Lzzy Hale accepted Chester Bennington’s Best Vocalist award during the show, giving a beautiful speech on compassion over negativity. “Everyone needs to realize that they’re not in this fight alone,” Hale says to those affected by mental illness. “Just to think about what Chester must have been going through in order to make that decision is disheartening. It shouldn’t happen when all of us are in this together.”

Having paid tribute to Chris Cornell with a rendition of Soundgarden’s “Fell on Black Days” at our ceremony, Hale also spoke about the grunge icon. “He was one of the greatest vocalists, an amazing poet,” Hale says. “As far as songwriting goes, he was a huge influence on all of us. When he passed, you realized just how much he wrote from the heart.”

As for Lita Ford, she says her next record will be a concept album inspired by her life’s struggles. “I am in a dark place right now,” Ford admits. “People think the devil is evil. Evil’s not the devil, evil is crazy people. Crazy people are what control you sometimes to do things, maybe you don’t always want to do. That’s what this album is about.”

Check out our exclusive interview with Halestorm and Lita Ford in the clip above.